Well... We picked up my wife's new 9 last week, and got her out to the range on Saturday to run a couple hundred rounds through it.
Seemed to be a great choice given the requirements we needed to meet.
First, she is pretty tiny, and is more comfortable with a SA type trigger, but as a novice, I didn't want her to have to concern herself with the issues involved in safely handling one of the 1911's.
Second, I had never considered a 9 as a practical option, just never liked them. I have owned more .45's than I can count, and quite a few 38/357's as well. I had really wanted to get her into a 40, but the compact 40's we shot really beat her up. She tolerated the 9's much better, so that was a big factor.
Third, although most would always tend to recommend a revolver as great option for the novice handgunner in a defensive situation, having been a tactics instructor in the military, and understanding the stresses involved, I felt that although a revolver has a much better chance of going bang, when it came down to needing that 7th, or 8th or 9th shot, a semi was much better, and oh, by the way, stressed reloads are WAY easier with a nice big magazine, that with a small round speed loader that may be tough to index.
Because we were looking for something that offered a revolvers simplicity (get in, turn the key, a drive), the search for a semi-auto pistol that had minimal "controls" was in order. I still wanted something that offered safety devices that could be controlled by the driver, but in reality, could be passively used as well. An integrated lock would be a big plus, since we do have the occassional grandchild around from time to time.
By now, most everyone is thinking Glock I am sure. FWIW, Glocks are great guns, my oldest daughter has a 27 that she picked up on my recommendation. It just suited HER needs, and abilities.
We had considered many different guns for her, but finally decided on a Steyr M9. The Steyr is really a great design, and I am very impressed by very few "Tupperware" guns.
The trigger travel on the Steyr is very short by comparison to the Glock, but the one we recieved is a little stiffer than the one I had handled previously.
My wife never had a chance to actually handle one, prior to picking it up, but knowing what she liked, and disliked about certain models, I was certain this would be a winner. I can honestly say I was right.
When we picked it up, and got it home, I had her become familiar with her new tool. She was amazed at the weight, and balance of the gun. She REALLY likes the sights, extremely easy to aquire. They are a very unique, snag free, low profile design. I am hoping to find these available on more guns in the future.
The safeties are very impressive. It takes the well known, and much accepted Glock design even further. Something that Glock should consider, although most AD's with a Glock are due to user error, placing one's finger in the trigger guard when not ready to fire.
If you are unfamiliar with the model, if is much easier to refer to the link below...
http://www.gsifirearms.com/product/s-pistol-safety.html
Overall, we are both very impressed with the Steyr, and I will post a followup later today after we have gotten some range time in.
Cheers!
Seemed to be a great choice given the requirements we needed to meet.
First, she is pretty tiny, and is more comfortable with a SA type trigger, but as a novice, I didn't want her to have to concern herself with the issues involved in safely handling one of the 1911's.
Second, I had never considered a 9 as a practical option, just never liked them. I have owned more .45's than I can count, and quite a few 38/357's as well. I had really wanted to get her into a 40, but the compact 40's we shot really beat her up. She tolerated the 9's much better, so that was a big factor.
Third, although most would always tend to recommend a revolver as great option for the novice handgunner in a defensive situation, having been a tactics instructor in the military, and understanding the stresses involved, I felt that although a revolver has a much better chance of going bang, when it came down to needing that 7th, or 8th or 9th shot, a semi was much better, and oh, by the way, stressed reloads are WAY easier with a nice big magazine, that with a small round speed loader that may be tough to index.
Because we were looking for something that offered a revolvers simplicity (get in, turn the key, a drive), the search for a semi-auto pistol that had minimal "controls" was in order. I still wanted something that offered safety devices that could be controlled by the driver, but in reality, could be passively used as well. An integrated lock would be a big plus, since we do have the occassional grandchild around from time to time.
By now, most everyone is thinking Glock I am sure. FWIW, Glocks are great guns, my oldest daughter has a 27 that she picked up on my recommendation. It just suited HER needs, and abilities.
We had considered many different guns for her, but finally decided on a Steyr M9. The Steyr is really a great design, and I am very impressed by very few "Tupperware" guns.
The trigger travel on the Steyr is very short by comparison to the Glock, but the one we recieved is a little stiffer than the one I had handled previously.
My wife never had a chance to actually handle one, prior to picking it up, but knowing what she liked, and disliked about certain models, I was certain this would be a winner. I can honestly say I was right.
When we picked it up, and got it home, I had her become familiar with her new tool. She was amazed at the weight, and balance of the gun. She REALLY likes the sights, extremely easy to aquire. They are a very unique, snag free, low profile design. I am hoping to find these available on more guns in the future.
The safeties are very impressive. It takes the well known, and much accepted Glock design even further. Something that Glock should consider, although most AD's with a Glock are due to user error, placing one's finger in the trigger guard when not ready to fire.
If you are unfamiliar with the model, if is much easier to refer to the link below...
http://www.gsifirearms.com/product/s-pistol-safety.html
Overall, we are both very impressed with the Steyr, and I will post a followup later today after we have gotten some range time in.
Cheers!